The Long Patrol
For other uses, see Long Patrol (disambiguation) Book Divisions (English) *'Book 1:' The Runaway Recruit *'Book 2:' A Gathering of Warriors *'Book 3:' The Ridge Summary The protagonist in this story is Tamello De Fformelo Tussock (or Tammo), a young hare who lives at Camp Tussock. Tammo longs to be part of the Long Patrol at Salamandastron. His father, Cornspurrey, will not hear of it however. He believes that his son is too young to join up. Against her husband's wishes, Tammo's mother Mem Divinia prepares for him to leave during the night with Russa Nodrey, a wandering squirrel who is a friend of the family. The two then set off to find the Long Patrol. Along the way, they encounter the ferrets Skulka and Gromal. They do eventually meet up with the Long Patrol, but Russa is killed saving a baby badger. He is named Russano by one of the hares, Rockjaw Grang, in her honor. Meanwhile, Gormad Tunn, the rat leader of the Rapscallion army has been dying from mortal wounds. The Rapscallions are in fear of Cregga Rose Eyes, the incumbent ruler of Salamandastron. His two sons Byral Fleetclaw and Damug Warfang fight to the death to determine who will be the new commander of the Rapscallions. Whoever wins will take his army either on land or on sea. This will be determined by the tradition of flipping Gormad's sword. One side of the blade is wavy for water, and the other is straight for land. Damug kills Byral and takes over control of the army, which moves inland. At Redwall Abbey, the inhabitants discover that the south wall is mysteriously sinking into the ground! Foremole Diggum and crew believe the best thing to do is to knock the wall down, and re-build it. During the night, a storm brought a tree down on the wall, making the moles job easier but also leaving the Abbey open to attack. Within the tree was an owl of Mossflower, Orocca. The broken wall revealed a tower of the ancient castle Kotir. Abbess Tansy, Friar Butty, Shad, Diggum, and Craklyn investigate below. After a harrowing journey, they find the treasure of Verdauga Greeneyes, the long-dead lord of Kotir Fortress. The Long Patrol goes to Redwall, hoping to inform the denizens about the threat posed by Damug. The spirit of Martin the Warrior appears to Tammo, instructing him to go in the company of the hare Midge Manycoats to Damug's camp. Disguised as a vermin seer, Midge directs Damug not to attack the vulnerable abbey directly, but suggests an alternate place and time instead, buying the defenders precious time to prepare themselves and saving the young and elderly within the Abbey from attack. When the hare Rockjaw Grang is killed by Rapscallions, Cregga's dreams direct her to the ridge where Midge has advised the battle to occur. She kills Damug, losing her eyesight in the process. The hares and Redwallers are eventually victorious, and Tammo marries the beautiful Pasque Valerian. Cregga chooses to stay at Redwall Abbey as badger mother, and as tutor for the young Russano. Later, the adult male Russano quests to Salamandastron accompanied by Long Patrol hares. [[:Category:The Long Patrol Characters|Characters in The Long Patrol]] Release details *1997, UK, Hutchinson Children's Books Ltd., ISBN 0091765463, Pub. Date: July 1997, Hardcover *1998, US, Philomel Books, ISBN 039923165X, Pub. Date: February 1998, Hardcover *1998, UK, Red Fox, ISBN 0099638819, Pub. Date: July 1998, Paperback *1999, US, Ace, ISBN 0441005993, Pub. Date: February 1999, Paperback *2004, US, Puffin Books, ISBN 0142402451, Pub. Date: September 2004, Paperback *2007, UK, Red Fox, ISBN 1862301441, Pub. Date: August 2007, Paperback *2007, US, Red Fox, ISBN 1862301441, Pub. Date: September 2007, Paperback *2010, US, Firebird Books, ISBN 9780142402450, Pub. Date: January 2010, Paperback Long Patrol, The Long Patrol, The